Points of Authority
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: 100 Days of AUs. Albus and Scorpius have a popular (unauthorized) gambling club at Hogwarts. Things get interesting when James joins Magical Law Enforcement, and his first station is Hogwarts. One-shot


_**LbN: For 100 Days of AUs. Prompt was "partners in crime". Happy reading!**_

The head of Magical Law Enforcement stared at his newest recruit. He smiled and nodded for the kid - he really was just a kid - to sit.

"I'm glad to see you here, James Potter."

The boy radiated pure keenness. "Thank you, sir. Glad to be here."

"You've come to the department at an interesting time. We're looking at a lot of different areas right now. But the one I'm interested in for you...is Hogwarts."

* * *

It wasn't dingy. It wasn't dark, or sketch, or anything negative. They'd made sure there were skylights, to let in the sun (or stars, for their night rounds), and Albus always conjured roses. They were his signature. He'd even been dubbed The White Rose of Slytherin, much to James's amusement.

That was the secret to their success, according to Scorpius. All of the other...fads...died out, because it only felt good to be sneaky for so long. But this? The atmosphere wasn't something out of a crime novel. They'd made it light and airy, and above all, easy to forget that what you were doing when you came here was straight up illegal.

"Al, are you serious about not having another one of these until term starts," one of the girls asked. Her name was Samantha, or something. She was in Gryffindor, and a fifth year, and had only started coming to these get-togethers recently.

He smiled and conjured a rose for her. "We have to have time to plan the next event. Besides, you've already taken all of poor Tobias's money."

Tobias Dedworth, a burly sixth year Ravenclaw, scowled down at the enchanted cards. "I still say she cheats," he muttered, to the general amusement of the rest of the table. He was awful at Charmed Double Spit, even with players as honest as saints.

"Fair and square, love. But I'll buy you a Christmas present to ease the sting," Samantha said.

"Is it true that we almost got caught last go?" This one was a weedy seventh year called Tommen. He was good at cards, but rubbish at the other games they played. He only came once a month.

"A bit true," Scorpius said, tapping the table twice with his wand. It glowed bright blue for a moment, before displaying three fiery red numbers in the air. There were groans around the table as three of the players folded. He continued, "There was talk. We're still trying trace it back to who started it, but McGregor called me in. Windsor called Albus in. We knew it was coming, and planned accordingly. But not a lot of people know that the Room of Requirement was regenerated, so we're relatively safe. For now."

"And that's the other reason we're laying low until next term," Albus added. "We have some things to plan out."

The game went to Samantha again, and all of the student were finally tired of losing their money for one evening. It was a quarter to curfew, and soon Albus and Scorpius were left alone.

"Speaking of that rat…. I think we should pay him a visit," Scorpius said, eyes flashing.

"You found out finally, then?" Albus asked with a grin.

"Thorin Poole. You got your brother's cloak?"

"It's not his anymore," Albus said. "He said I could have it, since he's on the straight and narrow now."

Scorpius snorted. "MLE. What was he thinking? He's never going to get away from your dad now."

"He doesn't want to. Let's go - Poole should be headed back from his study group now."

One of the things left over from the war, even now, was the assumption that danger could pop out at you from anywhere. Most students had parents who either fought, knew someone who fought, or had been evacuated from the Battle of Hogwarts. Thus, their parents memories turned into the children's paranoia. Most kids would only walk in groups of three or more, sometimes not even conscious of the fact that they did it.

Luckily for Albus and Scorpius, Thorin Poole was an arrogant son of a witch, and walked alone that evening.

The boy let out a squawk of indignation as he was dragged into a side hallway by unseen assailants. He automatically threw a wild punch when they let go of him, but missed. He looked wildly around to see who had grabbed him, but spotted no one. Out of instinct, he drew his wand.

That was what the pair had been waiting for. They disarmed him and reappeared - Albus from under the cloak, and Scorpius taking off the Disillusionment charm.

"Evening, Thorin," Albus said.

"I ain't Thorin to you, Potter," the boy spat. "Don't talk to me like we're friends. You call me Poole."

"We're not friends, Poole," Scorpius agreed. "Especially since you went and ratted us out to McGregor."

"I didn't do anything," Poole said.

"Really? Because you're the only fifth year Gryffindor without permission to go to Hogsmeade."

There was silence as Poole debated his options. He stuck with denial. "Mum doesn't like the idea of me being away from the school, even for an outing. What's that to you?"

"It's just that when McGregor called me in, he mentioned that he'd received this information last Hogsmeade weekend. I recalled wondering what the hell Gryffindor could have done to win a hundred points in one go. And I know it wasn't any of the babies. The third years aren't allowed to go anymore, remember? And they all hold mandatory study groups for the first and second years. All the fourth years were there, because they were in the snowball fight. The fifth years are holding out for invites, or aren't interested. And all of the sixth and seventh years have standing invitations. No, Poole, it had to be you."

The boy reddened, and mumbled something.

"Didn't quite catch that, Thorin," Albus said.

"I said you can't do anything to me," Poole said a bit louder. "Move - I'm going to be late."

Scorpius blocked his way. "Why'd you go running to the Headmaster, anyway? It's not like -"

"What you're doing is illegal," Thorin said. "And once Potter's brother finds out -"

"Wait, what? What about my brother?" Albus asked, spinning Poole around by the arm.

"Potter, why do you think they picked him for the higher levels at the MLE? Jesus, is your whole family this thick? They're trying to crack down on Hogwarts again, and they need a stooge just out of here who knows his way around. Your brother ain't a Slytherin, but that doesn't mean he's not trying to make a name for himself. Now leggo my arm!"

Albus quirked an eyebrow at Scorpius, who collected himself.

"Poole," he said with a sigh. "You snitch on us again trying to play the teacher's pet and there will be trouble. Not this kind of trouble - I'm talking the sort of trouble that doesn't heal for weeks. Understand?"

The boy gave a curt nod, and pulled away from Albus.

When the Slytherins were left alone in the hallway, they were quiet for a long moment.

"You think he's got the right of it?" Albus asked.

"Probably. Isn't his mum some big shot at the Ministry? And he's her only baby - that's why he's spoiled. And, as you expect, from me that's basically a professional opinion."

Albus kicked the wall.

* * *

Diagon Alley was decorated with all the trimmings of the Christmas season. Scorpius strolled through the lane, looking into windows, but staying out of most of the shops. It had been an hour, and finally his dad said,

"You know, I'm positive that Potter will be happy with whatever gift you pick for him."

Scorpius scowled at his father. "He will. That doesn't mean I can just get him anything."

Not for the first time, Draco wondered about his son's relationship with the middle Potter child.

Scorpius saw the question in his father's eyes and ducked into the Quidditch supply shop, not wanting to have that conversation ever, ever, ever. He wandered through the racks and spotted a display of international Quidditch jerseys. He wasn't a big fan of the sport, but Albus loved it. He grabbed the American and Transylvanian team jerseys and headed to the register.

"Morning, love," the witch working there said. "Oh, the new designs! Brilliant choice. That'll be eighty Galleons."

Draco flinched, but reached for his wallet anyway. Then he stopped, shocked, as Scorpius pulled out the gold from his bag and paid himself. "Scorpius?"

"Thank you!" Scorpius chirped, taking the bag. "Yes, Father?" he asked as they walked back into the crisp morning.

"How...how long have you been saving up your pocket money exactly?" Draco asked, obviously doing some mental arithmetic.

Scorpius laughed, but then stopped when he saw his father's expression. Draco Malfoy was a happy, calm man for the most part. But when he glowered like that, he looked alarmingly, _terrifyingly_, like Lucius. "Father, what's wrong?"

"Where did you get all of that money?" Draco asked quietly.

"Part of it is pocket money, but I also help out down at Zonko's in Hogsmeade. Sweeping and stocking and things like that." Scorpius could tell that his father still had questions, but thankfully, Draco dropped the subject.

"Very well," his father said. "Let's get home. Your mum tells me we're having company to lunch."

* * *

Albus roamed through Grimmauld Place, trying to shake the boredom and anxiety he felt. Why should he care if his brother was coming home today? Why should it matter if he was in the MLE now? He wandered back into his room and sat at his desk. He fidgeted, twisting the necklace Scorpius had bought him for his birthday.

"He always gets you such expensive gifts."

Albus jumped, then relaxed when he saw his mum coming through the door with a basket of clothes. "It's just how he is."

Ginny eyed him for a moment, and then dumped the clothes out onto his bed and began to fold them. "You know...if you want to invite Scorpius over, that would be fine with us. We've only met him briefly, and I think…."

"Mum, Scorpius is not my boyfriend," Albus said, helping her fold clothes.

Ginny tried, and failed, to hide her smirk. "Okay."

They heard laughter then, and the front door shutting. Ginny, however, didn't move. She kept folding clothes as she spoke. "What do you think we should have for dinner? I was thinking of making pasta, but…."

"Figured you'd be making all James's favorites for his triumphant return from the bowels of magical boot camp," Albus said, grinning at her.

Ginny swatted him with a towel. "That's Sunday, when your grandparents come over. We're in here!" she called.

Albus instinctively dropped the socks he was folding and braced himself when he heard footsteps charging up the stairs. A good thing too, because a second later, James had charged in like a bull to tackle him.

"For the love of Merlin! You're a fully grown wizard in a damn Ministry uniform!" Ginny huffed as Harry and Lily laughed in the doorway. "Both of you get off the ground!"

James let Albus out of the headlock he was in and stood up, straightening the smart blue uniform. He held out a hand to his brother and pulled him up. "Nice to see you, Al. Glad you haven't burned the school down without me there to keep you in line."

"Please, the insurance risk probably went down by fifty percent after you left," Albus said, massaging his neck.

"Right, I'm off to start dinner," Ginny said. "Albus, James, you both finish folding clothes."

Both boys groaned as the rest of the family headed back downstairs. James tossed a sock at Albus.

"So you're done then?" Albus asked.

"Yeah. Got my assignment already and everything."

"What'll you be doing?" Albus tried to keep his voice casually and chanced a look at his brother.

"It's brilliant! I'll be at Hogwarts again!"

Albus tried not to look surprised. _Score one for Poole, then_, he thought. "What do you mean?"

"We're on security detail. Like before, only...er...official. And we're on watch within the grounds, so if anything illegal goes down -"

"Wait, but isn't that illegal in itself?" Albus interrupted.

James's face was a mixture of frustration and...something else. Anxiety? "No. There's been legislation, I guess, that focuses on the cooperation between the school and the Ministry. We're there for your protection."

"What happens if you find something illegal happening?"

James gave him a Look. "Depends on what it is."

"Student stuff?"

"You know something, Al?"

"I hear stuff, but nothing that's ever...you know, real bad. Anyway, what happens? Do you get to hex them? Handcuff them and drop them off the Astronomy Tower?"

"No, because the department wasn't founded by torture-happy Slytherins," James said, grinning.

Albus put one hand over his heart in mock offense. "Why, I never! Torture-happy? Us? And from a blood-thirsty, war -hungry Gryffindor, no less."

"See? I told Dad not to let you go over to the States last summer. That southern drawl was terrifying. Next you'll be trying to get Mum to make fried Twinkies and…." He broke off, shuddering. "Iced tea."

Albus laughed and tossed a shirt at him.

* * *

Hogwarts seemed a quieter, gloomier place, James mused. He knew it was his fault - well, his team's fault. There were only five of them, but their presence hung round the castle like a clammy, persistent fog. He strolled through the halls, he felt a weighted, sinking feeling in his chest. He'd wanted to be back - really wanted to be back - but this wasn't right. He wasn't a student anymore, but it was almost like he wasn't even James Potter anymore. Kids he'd known, played Quidditch with, tutored...they shrank away from him as if he was a professor who'd just spotted them with a Fanged Frisbee. A few would give him sheepish waves and then dart away. This wasn't the homecoming he'd thought it would be.

With a sigh, he rounded the corner of the Charms hallway. The worst bit, the absolute worst bit, was that he _knew _something was up. It was in the air, but it wasn't… it didn't feel like something sinister. He'd been on too many night raids as a trainee to forget how it feels when something incredibly skeezy is afoot. But he knew something was up.

"Just relax. No one's going to find out."

James pressed himself into a small nook behind a statue, wincing at the tight fit. It had been a lot easier to do this before…

Albus and Scorpius strolled out of one of the disused classrooms. Scorpius seemed to be bandaging Albus's hand.

"He's out," Scorpius snapped. "We made that rule at the beginning. No violence, unless it's us doing it. We, at least, know when to stop."

"He just got mad, is all," Albus said, gently pulling away from Scorpius. "It's not a big deal. You saw how he was when he realized I was hurt."

Scorpius huffed. "Fine. But if anything like that happens again, I'm going to find one of Hagrid's pets and feem him to it."

James thought about making his presence known, but hesitated. The two boys had stopped up the hall a ways, and he had to strain to hear.

"...not like this isn't dangerous enough without a raging maniac."

"It'll be alright, Scorp."

"What if you're brother -"

"It won't come to that. It'll be fine."

James shifted in the small space, letting out a breath he hadn't noticed himself holding. Albus was involved. This wasn't going to end well. But...it's not like he had anything solid. He didn't even know what going on. It could be kid stuff. Yeah, kid stuff. And it was still early in the evening...it wasn't like they were breaking curfew. He couldn't search them or anything like that. It was probably just kid stuff.

He squeezed himself out of his hiding spot and stood there, shivering slightly. He headed off in the opposite direction, hellbent on finding the rest of his squad and calling it a night.

* * *

The roses lay trampled underfoot. Albus stood there, under the gaze of his brother, the other MLE officers, and McGregor.

"So…" McGregor said softly. "The rumors _were _true. A gambling ring, here at Hogwarts."

"Seems so, Headmaster," James said. "Al -"

"No, James," one of the other officers said. "You can't question him. He's your brother."

James closed his eyes at Albus's defiant stare. It wasn't going to make things any easier. He replayed the events of the night, trying to explain away his brother's involvement, but he couldn't. They'd gotten the password - an anonymous tip - and caught them all red-handed. He looked around again, noting that Scorpius wasn't there. At least, he wasn't anywhere that James could spot. He hadn't even known that the Room of Requirement had regenerated - who knew what it could do, or how many students were hiding. "Right," he said. "Let's take him up to your office, Headmaster."

"Him?" another officer asked. "What about the others?"

"Albus is seventeen, which makes gambling and the facilitation of gambling without a permit illegal for him. The rest of these are underage, which puts them in Headmaster McGregor's hands."

"Detention, and revocation of Hogsmeade privileges," McGregor said, scanning the other two students. "And fifty points from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. You two get to bed, now."

Albus let his brother take his arm, thinking fast. He was the best at changing the room, and he had to make sure it stayed the way it was until they all left. Currently, Scorpius and three other seventh years were hiding in a compartment the room had constructed for them. Albus nearly let out a sigh of relief when everyone went out before him and his brother.

Up in the headmaster's office, everyone was silent as James and one other officer went to fetch Harry Potter and the Head of MLE, respectively.

"I'm sorely disappointed in you, Albus," McGregor said, shattering the silence. "I...I don't know what to tell you. If they decide to pursue charges, this could seriously harm your future."

"Are you going to expel me?" Albus muttered.

McGregor huffed, but stayed silent.

The fire roared to life a moment later, and James and Harry strode out. Harry gave his younger son a withering glare, but stood behind him with one hand on his shoulder.

"I think we should wait until Timmons gets here," he said.

"I agree," said McGregor. "Shouldn't be long now."

It was another few minutes. Albus guessed the officer was filling the head of the department in on what happened. That was fine by him - it gave him time to think.

Finally, Gustavus Timmons strode out of the fire, giving the group a curt nod. "An unauthorized gambling ring, I hear? Dear Mr. Potter…."

Albus risked a glance at James, who was staring fixedly at the portrait of Dumbledore.

Timmons sighed. "It is, of course, difficult…."

"I don't want my son given special treatment, Timmons. This is serious, and he knew better."

Albus couldn't help feeling a stab of betrayal at those words. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his robes, but kept his mouth shut. He knew why things were difficult - he was Harry bloody Potter's son, and that meant a lifetime of politics. They couldn't just chuck him into Azkaban - people would riot.

"I understand…" Timmons said. "Nevertheless, it is a delicate situation. You see, James's team only caught Albus and two others, if my information is correct. The other two are underage, which means we can only charge Albus with a underage gambling facilitation charge. A fine of a hundred Galleons, at most."

"But we know there were more people there!" one of the other MLE officers interjected.

"You can't prove it," Timmons said, sighing. "Unless Albus gives you names. And from the look on his face, I'm guessing it'll be quite a cold day in hell before that happens."

Harry sat next to Albus and gently turned the boy's face so he was looking him in the eye. "Did Scorpius put you up to this?" he asked.

That was his good old dad. Always ready to blame the real Slytherin, as he'd once put it when he thought Albus wasn't listening. Albus suspected that the man saw his placement in the House as some sort of clerical error.

"No," Albus said. "It was my idea - I ran it. I wanted to make some extra money before I graduated. Scorpius had nothing to do with it."

"Son, I know he's your friend, but -"

"What? Am I not smart enough to do something on my own? It's always Scorpius - just like at home it's always James first. You really think I'm useless, don't you?" Albus snapped.

Harry looked quite stricken at this, but decided to address the headmaster instead. "Will he...will he still graduate?" he asked McGregor.

McGregor stared at Albus for a long - very long - moment. "Yes. With two stipulations. One is that all Hogsmeade trips are suspended. The second is that he has regular checkups with an Authority Supervisor from your office, Timmons."

Albus winced. Great - now they were treating him like a common delinquent.

Timmons nodded. "I'll send the paper along tomorrow, Potter."

Harry, still staring at Albus, said, "Thanks."

McGregor stood, ushering the MLE officers out of his office. "I'll give you a minute."

When the door had closed, a dam burst within James. "Merlin, Al! Why? Why did you have to go and do a damn fool thing like this? It's my first year, for crying out loud!"

"It's good to know that I can always depend on you to make things all about yourself," Albus muttered.

"Enough."

It had the effect of a drop of ink in a glass of water. It wasn't loud, or a shout, or even particularly angry. But the command spread out and wrapped around both Potter sons in a way that was almost suffocating.

"James...it's been a long day for you. Go get some rest," Harry said. He watched him supress saying something else, and march out the door. "Albus Severus Potter… you're an adult now. So I'm not going to lecture you like a child. This is it. Once you leave this school, you won't be Harry Potter's son anymore, and I won't be able to protect you -"

"Protect me? You threw me to the wolves just now!" Albus burst out. Then he stopped because of Harry's grim smile.

"The Ministry is all about appearances. I knew you'd get off with a fine, but I still had to say that. Otherwise, one of James's squad would've gone blabbing at the Ministry about me throwing my weight around. Or James throwing his weight around."

"Not a lot of weight to throw for him."

"Albus," Harry sighed. "Promise me you won't let…."

Albus guessed where he was going. "I told you. This was my idea."

Harry nodded. "Just...keep your head down for the rest of the term. And don't miss a meeting with your AS."

"I promise not to miss a meeting with my ass."

Harry glowered at him. "And expect a Howler from your mother tomorrow." With that, he walked back over to the fireplace and stepped into the green flames. "Grimmauld Place."

Albus stood on shaking legs and walked over to the door. There were hushed voices behind it, but he didn't bother listening in. He just wanted to get back to his dorm.

MLE officers were milling around. James was nowhere to be seen as Albus descended back into the dungeons. The few Prefects on duty ignored him. He made it to the Slytherin common room, where his whole House was waiting up for him.

Scorpius elbowed his way to the front of the group. "Fifty points...that's rough. I told this lot not to swarm, but they didn't listen." He turned around and shouted at the younger crowd. "All of you get to bed before Windsor gets down here and gives us all detention!"

The students scattered, some quicker than others, leaving Albus and Scorpius alone in the common room. They chose a couch close to the fire and sat close to each other.

"How much trouble are we in?" Scorpius asked.

"I have to pay a fine, and I can't go to Hogsmeade anymore, and I have an Authority Supervisor to meet with every other week."

"What are you, some delinquent skipping school?" Scorpius asked, offended.

"Apparently. I was lucky it wasn't more serious."

"What about me? My fine's double yours, right? They like sticking it to Malfoys."

"They only caught me, and I told them you weren't involved."

"Bloody hell, mate! You can't just -"

"I can. I did. And if you go Gryffindor on me and turn yourself in, they'll know I lied. To a shit ton of police officers, plus my dad. It's better this way."

Scorpius threw an arm around Albus's shoulders and muttered something about bloody noble Potters playing the hero.

Albus just smiled.

The two were silent as they sat on the couch, watching the dying fire.

_**Fin**_


End file.
